Do you KIVA ?

[gloria002]

http://www.kiva.org/ (http://www.kiva.org/)

What is Kiva ?

Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world - empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty. This isn't charity, it is A LOAN. As loans are repaid, you get your money back. Microfinance loans worldwide are generating repayment rates of 97% (UNCDF: Basic Facts About Microfinance (http://www.uncdf.org/english/microfinance/facts.php)). To date, Kiva.org’s repayment rate is ... 100% !

When Yunus Mohammed won the Nobel Prize last year with his Microfinance concept, I was immediately won over. I was looking into a way to contribute to the system, and one of my friends on the u2.com board - Jacquie - came up with this website. Just thought I'd share :-)

[victaniac]

This is pretty brilliant. Are you guys doing this in the Zoo? This reminds me of a similar gift from Oxfam Unwrapped (https://secure9.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/product_detail.asp?CS=oxfam&RowID=17&All=), for $100 someone can start a small business. But it's a donation of course, not a loan.

For the most part we've only focused on the $1.36 Campaign, and now we'll have another leading project (Oxfam Unwrapped), both will be funded by the CCC shop. KIVA is a pretty fantastic organization (especially the part about getting our donations back! Hah) so hopefully in the future we can organize another project with benefits going towards it. Million thanks for the heads up! :happy:

[gloria002]

good heaven's no, we're not the ones who set this up. We're just promoting the concept and the idea, guiding people there. Mainly for those who don't really like the charity-concept.

Many of us are continuously on our feet (or online) trying to convince people to sign up to The One Campaign. This concept has proven to be an efficient way to explain people that Africa isn't all about diseases and death. And that people out there are quite willing to work for a living, if they're given half the chance.

Some people really are sick of charities ... 'we've been sending them money for decades, nothing much has changed, so why would I give my money now' is a line often heard'. It's what stops them from even looking into things to find out if what they are thinking is true. So they never learn that many of the mistakes that were made in the past, have been corrected these days. There's better and more efficient aid out there now. Trying to change people's views and the prejudices they have about Africa is just as important as getting aid to those who need it.
Others just want to work with a direct link, fearing their money will get lost in endless administration or lord-knows-whose-pockets ...

Ah well, we're all small particles in a big radarwork ... :-)

[gloria002]

ooops, posted that twice, not really necessary. lol

[uuvbbz]

Good.....Good..